The President and Founder of the Jonahsa Foundation, Jonah Barcon, has condemned U.S Ambassador, Michael McCarthy’s, statement and demand an immediate apology.
Barcon statement comes amid statement coming from the Ambassador McCarthy where he reportedly said that “Liberia cannot and should not backtrack from the progress it has made to increase transparency and fight corruption, integral to establishing the conditions necessary for foreign investment.”
“Liberia’s growth and development will depend on increased trade and investment, which in turn will require that U.S. and international businesses are confident they can compete openly and fairly and that any concerns will find remedy in an honest and impartial justice system,” he said in his address to the Senators.
He went on to say as a Representative of the U.S. Government in Liberia and ensuring that an amicable environment exists in Liberia where U.S. businesses can freely run their business is integral to ensuring that human rights and struggles to deal with reported cases of gender-based violence, rape, child labor, human trafficking, good governance, accountability, and rule of law are addressed
According to the Jonahsa Foundation issued in Monrovia today, “we all are aware, the COVID19 virus has had a tow on our global economy for which Liberia is no exception because all Liberians witnessed the decline in the number of cases being reported, we are also being threatened by a potential global war which if care is not taken could be the third World War; (the Ukraine and Russia war)
The statement added that recent situations have economically affected our people, especially a nation that is just from the Ebola crisis and 14 years of devastating bloodletting.
The statement said despite all of these, we have remained a resilient group of people. Let me in this special way command all Liberians who have kept the Peace and continue to do so.
According to the Jonahsa Foundation statement, on March 15, 2022, Liberians celebrated the 213th birthday of our first President, Joseph Jenkins Roberts which on that day, the U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Michael A. McCarthy in an opinion Editorial expressed dismay over the “poor” state of affairs of Liberia.
“while I’m not oblivious to some of the issues highlighted in the Ambassador’s release, I’m also not going to agree with him when he tries to paint a picture like the current problems Liberia is faced with are all our (Liberians) making that tells us that Liberia is deeply rooted in the American culture, through the arrival of the freed slaves in 1822”.
The statement indicated that, the color of our flag, a form of government, Western Education, and other dress codes of Liberians are all tailored after the American Society. I often hear that America is our oldest and number one ally, but she should also have herself to blame for the current state of our infrastructure and governance system.
The statement quotes Founder and president of the Jonahsa Foundation Mr. Jonah Barcon as expressing how terrified, disheartened, and doubtful he is believing that America is a true partner to Liberia adding that unlike other African countries colonized and built by the west, Liberia has achieved a little from America over the Country’s 200 years of existence.
The statement also said that am American child does not cry from hunger, war, little or no electricity, water, good education, good governance, and well-developed infrastructure, but t in Liberia, children highly get food to eat a day, less to say access to quality education, water, and electricity among others.
The statement stressed that, after 246 years, a nation he struggled to build as the new world in the 1600s, enslaved and returned blacks to landfills with destitution, illnesses, unhappiness, and poverty also the way America was first discovered in the 1400s, was by an Italian explorer Christopher Columbus and since then, it has experienced serious attractions making it the world’s superpower” the statement wonder .
The however, challenged the US Ambassador to read the reason why Firestone was established in Liberia, go and read the history of where major resources of Liberia like iron ore and minerals have been taken. America of course.
The Jonahsa Foundation statement pointed out that, history also tells us that Monrovia was previously called Christopolist but was renamed Monrovia in honor of America’s 5th president, James Monroe. Many of our streets, cities, communities and major bridges are named in honor of American noting that the U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Ambassador . McCarthy comparison of Monrovia to that of some villages. Doesn’t the Ambassador know that Monrovia is named after one of his former presidents?
“The cleanliness of Monrovia is the responsibility of the city government, but America needs to take some of the responsibilities. Yes, we should not look out for foreigners to clean our city, but not when our city is named after a foreigner. Over the years you have controlled Liberia but refused to make the Country yours”.
The Jonahsa Foundation stated that, knowing all of these and many more, the U.S Ambassador should be ashamed of his country treating and controlling us that but yet they have refused to truly develop Liberia instead this is America’s farm.
The statement indicated that, America has shied away from her responsibilities and used Liberia as a medium to make her greater in Africa. Adding that, Mr. Ambassador tells Washington to help us sincerely as brothers judging from our traditional ties but not to keep pretending as you have done over the years.
